


Be Cruel

by Crown_of_Winterthorne



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Anal Sex, BDSM, Bondage, Dirty Talk, Dom!Duo, Dom!Zechs, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Post-Series, Spanking, not FT-compliant, past Trowa/Quatre, sub!Trowa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 15:23:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7444216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crown_of_Winterthorne/pseuds/Crown_of_Winterthorne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been over a year, and a still-grieving Trowa has something to ask of Duo and Zechs.</p><p>Originally a NSFW tumblr prompt by ClaraxBarton that got VERY out of hand. The prompt was “I want you to humiliate me.” This turned into something so much more. I'm considering it an AU of my Roses AU (which is still very much in progress and slow-going). There might be a sequel.</p><p>Title from “Cruel” by Charming Liars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be Cruel

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Cylina Nightshade. All mistakes/typos are mine.
> 
> All parties are fully informed and consenting to everything that happens in this fic- just because I didn't write it out explicitly doesn't mean it didn't happen "off-screen."
> 
> (Hopefully the formatting is okay? Sometimes Ao3 does weird things to it.)

Duo gripped Zechs’ hand, needing the grounding sensation of his lover’s strong fingers wrapped around his own. Nothing about this situation was normal. He still wasn’t used to seeing Trowa without Quatre, certainly wasn’t used to seeing his usually strong, stoic friend looking small and miserable in their living room. Duo had helped him pick up the pieces over a year ago, just after the accident on L4. He’d looked after Trowa then, repaying an old debt to them both and fulfilling a promise to Quatre. So he supposed it made sense that Trowa would come to him now, and by extension, Zechs. That didn’t make it any less world-shifting.

“I never knew you needed this,” he said softly.

“Neither did I,” was Trowa’s only answer.

“Are you sure?” Duo asked. “Whatever you and Cat do— _did_ —it’s not like me and Zechs. It’s not a game to us.”

“It never was to us either.”

Zechs sat up a little straighter on the sofa, idly running the back of his free hand down Duo’s arm. “What Duo means is that what we do is likely more intense than what you were used to with Quatre. It’s not... what did you call it once, pet? ‘Slap and tickle?’”

Duo chuckled at the description even as he flushed under the endearment. “Something like that. Look, Zechs and I have fun in bed. A lot of fun. But when we do a scene, it’s fucking intense. It’s not soft. It’s not a lot of laughter and gentle teasing.”

“I know that,” Trowa frowned at him. “What do you think we used to do? Smack each other with pillows? We weren’t a couple of pre-teen girls at a slumber party, Duo. I know what I’m asking for. I want you to tie me up. I want you to humiliate me. I want you to fuck me. And I don’t want it to be gentle. I want it to be... I _need_ it to be more than that.”

“Okay,” he soothed, “okay. I get it, Tro. Trust me, I fucking get it. Jesus, how long has it been?”

“Long enough.”

“Come over here, then,” Duo said softly, glancing at Zechs. They shared a silent agreement, the blond giving the slightest nod. “Let’s talk about what you want from us.”

Trowa started to rise from the chair and Duo shook his head, stilling him with a gesture of his hand.

“No. Do it on your knees, sweetheart.”

* * *

 

Duo didn’t often get to indulge this side of his personality. Zechs was decidedly not a switch and though he was amenable to Duo topping from the bottom in their regular bedtime activities, their scenes remained inviolate. They rarely played with others and even then, Zechs tended to take the lead. Duo hadn’t expected Trowa to ever come to them for sex of any sort, let alone be submissive. So it was heady stuff, to be able to command Trowa to strip and kneel in the center of the bedroom floor. To be obeyed without a hint of the hesitation that Duo might have shown if their positions had been reversed.

It was far more casual than what he and Zechs usually did, the two of them comfortably barefoot and in worn out jeans. Zechs had tied his hair back and rolled up the sleeves on his black sweater. Duo kept his braid and stripped off his shirt, displaying his fully tattooed arms and back. Trowa was tattooed too, with a lion’s head on his forearm and poetry in Arabic on his ribs. Duo had known about the lion—he had been the one to put it there—but not the poetry.

Zechs trusted Duo to command a scene—he had been the one to teach him, after all—but he was the one who fastened the leather cuffs behind Trowa’s back. Who corrected his posture with imperious flicks of his fingers and a slow, pleased smile that Duo wasn’t usually privileged enough to see.

Duo circled Trowa but his eyes were for Zechs as he trailed fingertips over Trowa’s shoulders. He caught Zechs by the waistband of his jeans and pulled him close, raising up on his toes to kiss him. Zechs didn’t touch him. Their only points of contact were his waist and their lips, and he let Duo keep the kiss chaste and sweet. Duo rocked back on his heels, grinning, and Zechs gave him an amused nod.

As one, they looked down to Trowa, who had lifted his head to watch them. The lust in his eyes sent a rush of warmth to Duo’s stomach, but the fact that he’d moved out of position sent something darker right along behind it.

“Zechs told you not to move, sweetheart. I know he’s fucking gorgeous, but you’re supposed to be looking down at the floor.”

Trowa bowed his head again, silent, and Duo ran a hand through his thick chestnut hair. Knotting his fingers into the longer strands that fell across his face, Duo pulled and made him look up. Trowa’s green eyes remained downcast and Duo had to smile at that.

“You’re learning quick. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I was looking forward to punishing you.” He went down to one knee, leaning in close to Trowa’s neck and biting at his earlobe. Trowa remained still, but Duo heard the sharp intake of breath. “You’re so good at being whatever you need to be, aren’t you, Tro? What about what you _want_? Do you even know who you want to be? You’re going to be our plaything tonight, but is that what you really want? Or just what you think you want?”

“I need it,” he whispered, firm.

“What’s ‘it?’ What exactly do you need?” Duo let go of his hair to stroke his throat. Curled his fingers around his neck before drawing them down his chest. He felt Trowa’s heart beating steadily under his palm.

“I need to let go,” he answered slowly. “I don’t want to be me for a little while. I need...”

He trailed off and didn’t say anything further. Duo didn’t force him. He knew. They both did, and he wasn’t going to force Trowa to confront his past. His present. That wasn’t what this was about. Maybe in the future, if Trowa made more appearances in their life, but not now.

“We can do that,” Duo assured him. “For the next few hours, you’re ours and not your own. We’ll take good care of you. I promise."

Trowa nodded, letting Duo lift his head with gentle fingers and looking up at him with miserable green eyes. Duo smiled sadly and kissed him.

“It’ll be okay, sweetheart.”

Trowa leaned his head against Duo’s shoulder and he allowed it, running a hand over his hair and over his back as Trowa shuddered. He hummed softly, offering Trowa a moment to pull himself together before they started for real. A hand cupped the back of Duo’s head and he looked up to see Zechs standing over them, a soft expression of concern on his aristocratic face.

“Trowa,” Zechs said in a voice much kinder than he used with Duo during scenes, “are you certain this is something you can handle right now?”

“I’m sure.” He sat back on his knees in the position Zechs had originally placed him in, no longer leaning on Duo. His head was bowed, his back straight and his hands bound behind him, fingers loosely fisted. “Please.”

Zechs mussed Duo’s hair and stepped back. “Go ahead, love. Do as you will.”

Duo smiled at him, a little wistful and sad. There usually wasn’t so much melancholy in their bedroom. Not anymore, anyway. He didn’t want Trowa to be sad, wanted instead to leave him with memories of pleasure. Pain that wasn’t of the broken heart variety.

Rising to his feet, Duo smoothed his hands over his jeans and then over his hair where Zechs had ruffled it. Under other circumstances, he might have rebraided it tightly, slicked it back into a careful, severe knot that left his face bare. He hadn’t wanted to take that time, nor had he wanted to appear in front of his friend as intimidating—not that he could, when Trowa was a full inch taller than Zechs and with shoulders just as wide.

Duo had never made it past five-six.

He relied on the force of his personality instead, drawing himself up into someone gentle but commanding. Someone whose orders would be followed without complaint. Someone who could dole out punishment if they weren’t. Zechs had helped him refine this part of himself, long before they realized that the only people they wanted to play with were each other.

He had missed this, Duo realized.

“Trowa.” Duo kept his voice soft; he had learned that his submissive partners responded to a quiet, firm tone better than a threatening one. He’d save the threats for later. “Trowa, I want you to thank Zechs. Doesn’t he deserve your gratitude for allowing you to join us?”

Trowa nodded and Duo shared a small smile with Zechs. He held out his hand and Zechs took it, stepped closer so that he could hug Duo to his side. Trowa didn’t look up at them this time.

“Thank you, Zechs.” A hesitation, then a whisper, “Sir.”

“Oh. Good. I like that. Now kiss his foot, sweetheart.” Duo felt his stomach clench with heat as Trowa obeyed him. Zechs’ hand tightened on his hip but otherwise he showed no reaction, stayed aloof and detached in the way that drove Duo crazy. He suspected that Trowa would need to be handled with open appreciation, with praise and enthusiasm.

“That’s it,” he offered, looping his arms around Zechs’ middle and studying the curve of Trowa’s spine as he bowed down before them. His lips lingered upon the bridge of Zechs’ left foot before pressing against the other. He made an aborted attempt to draw back, stopping himself like he wasn’t sure if he was meant to go on or not, so Duo made the decision for him. “No. No, don’t stop. Keep going, sweetheart. You look gorgeous like that. Doesn’t he, Z?”

“It suits you,” Zechs agreed, tracing a line up and down Duo’s back. He glanced at Duo, nodded at the silent suggestion in his violet eyes. They could read each other so well these days. “I should have worn my boots. I’d rather like to see you spit-shine them with your tongue.”

Trowa shivered and Duo smiled. That had been his reaction the first time too. Still was, if he was honest with himself. Sometimes all it took was for Zechs to bring those shining thigh-high boots out of the closet and Duo was on his knees, eager to please him.

“Enough. Sit up,” Duo told him, but it was Zechs who pushed Trowa back up onto his knees with one foot. His cheeks were slightly pink and his cock starting to swell between his bare thighs. Duo smirked. “You liked that? This is going to be easier than I thought.”

Disentangling himself from Zechs, Duo went around to stand behind Trowa, bending at the waist and trailing his hands over his friend’s arms and shoulders. Trowa couldn’t repress the twitches that ran through his taut muscles, and it made Duo think of the way an animal might shudder under a gentle caress. Trusting but still uncertain.

“I’m not going to go too hard on you, sweetheart. I know you think that’s what you want, but I don’t think you can handle how rough we sometimes like to get. Not tonight.” He fingered the short hair at the nape of Trowa’s neck, counted the protruding bones of his spine with one knuckle. “We won’t make it easy for you either. There’s two of us and only one of you, after all. And you did say you wanted to be fucked. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Yes...?” he prompted.

“Yes, sir.”

Duo sighed. “Oh, I really fuckin’ like that.”

Zechs smirked and rolled his eyes but Duo casually flipped him off as he stood up straight. He kept a hand on Trowa as he circled him, letting the barest scrape of his nails tease over bare skin. Trowa didn’t turn his head to watch but he did lean into the touch, subtly following it. Duo allowed it, feeling lenient in spite of the way that Zechs frowned at him. Zechs wouldn’t have permitted either of them to get away with it, touch-starved or no.

But this was Duo’s scene to run, and he didn’t mind that Trowa was hungry for his touch. He found it flattering. Heady. Something that he could use.

“I’m going to make you beg, you know,” he came around to stand in front of Trowa again. Slid his fingers along his jaw and chin. Pressed his thumb against Trowa’s lower lip. “First you’ll beg me to stop. Then you’ll beg me to keep going. You might beg me to stop again before we’re done. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

Trowa made a sound that might have been a whine. His tongue flickered out to touch Duo’s thumb and Duo decided that there was a limit to his leniency.

The slap was loud in the silence of the room.

Duo gripped Trowa’s chin hard, forced him to lift his head. “Look at me.”

Wide green met steely blue-violet. The mark on one high cheekbone was barely visible beneath flushed olive skin. Trowa licked his lips and Duo wasn’t sure if it was out of nerves or because he had liked being struck. He took a deep breath of his own, suddenly hyperaware of Zechs watching them, of the power that he held over this strong, reserved man.

“Don’t overstep, Tro. I’ll only allow so much.”

He kept Trowa’s gaze for a moment longer, searching for fear or unease and finding neither. It could be hard to read Trowa—he kept his emotions under tighter lock and key than even Heero did—but Duo had known him for years. Had seen him, on two rare occasions, break down. The man before him looked weary but willing. Even eager.

He had, after all, said that he needed to step outside of himself. Duo knew better than most how well pain could offer that escape.

Duo didn’t look away first, but when it became apparent that Trowa wouldn’t either, he shoved his head down. He wasn’t gentle. Trowa didn’t resist and Duo was reminded of how effortlessly Trowa molded himself to fit others’ demands. It would have been easy—unfairly so—to break him. How many others had done it to him in the past? Had Quatre?

The thought was disconcerting.

Duo walked away, breathing slow and deep, aware that he was betraying his own discomfort to Trowa and not liking it. He was supposed to be the one in control. He shouldn’t have been so bothered by the way that his friend slipped effortlessly into the role of submissive, but it was at odds with everything he’d ever thought about Trowa. Discovering these things, questioning things about the friends he’d known for years—thought that he’d known—were not easy things to do. Combined with the fact that Trowa’s preferred method of self defense was adapting to what the people around him wanted, Duo couldn’t help but wonder if this was a good idea or not. Trowa was still grieving after all this time. And while Trowa wanted it— probably did even need it—that didn’t mean it was the right thing to do.

As he paced, Zechs caught Duo by the wrist, drew him close and pressed their foreheads together. His voice was pitched low, meant for Duo’s ears only, though Trowa likely could hear him anyway. The room was too small and too quiet for a truly private conversation.

“What do you need, pet?”

“Just... just a minute. That’s all.” He brought his hands up to cover Zechs’ where they cupped his face. He needed to feel grounded. Needed Zechs’ confidence. “It’s been awhile.”

Zechs nodded, understanding. “May I?”

“Please.”

Zechs kissed him tenderly and went to Trowa. Put a single finger beneath his chin and dragged him to his feet with nothing more than a demanding touch and quiet, “Up.”

Leaning against the bureau, Duo rubbed at the back of his neck and then folded his arms over his bare chest. Watched as Zechs circled Trowa, brushing their arms together as he looked the younger man up and down. Heard Zechs murmuring questions and demanding that Trowa answer him out loud with “yes, sirs,” and “no, sirs.”

Zechs had taught Duo how to rebuild a person after they’d been torn down and he wondered if that wasn’t what Trowa had really come for. Had he finally been broken so many times that no one else could fix him? Or, Duo considered that weariness in his eyes, was it simply that he was lost and needed to be found? Duo could understand that as well as the desire for physical pain to chase away the emotional. It had been similar loss that brought him to Zechs in the first place.

Detached from the situation, Duo was able to watch Trowa’s reactions with a more objective eye. The way his breathing quickened every time Zechs walked behind him. The subtle shift of his weight when Zechs tried to push him off balance with a solid bump of his shoulder. The way he licked his lips when Zechs spoke into his ear. His cock was growing harder and even from across the room Duo saw it twitch when Zechs promised to fuck him like a whore.

Whatever else had brought him to their bed, Duo couldn’t deny that Trowa wanted it. He saw too, as Trowa resisted ever so slightly as Zechs pressed against his back and circled his throat in one hand, that perhaps it wouldn’t be so easy to break him after all. The thought was reassuring.

Zechs kept his hand around Trowa’s throat—a gentle pressure that was little more than a reminder of the blond’s dominance—and settled his bound hands at the small of his back to leave his ass unprotected. Looking over Trowa’s shoulder at Duo, Zechs arched a questioning eyebrow. Duo nodded, offered a smile to reassure him, _Don’t worry about me._

Zechs’ answering smile was warm. It softened his eyes and made him look less serious and foreboding. He nodded back and returned his attention to Trowa. He brushed his lips against Trowa’s shoulder, brought his hand down to lay pressed firmly against the space below where his collarbones met. He skimmed his other hand down Trowa’s arm, barely touching him and raising gooseflesh. Trowa couldn’t quite help the tremor of anticipation that ran through him and Duo shifted in response to the tension between them.

He knew what was coming. He’d been in Trowa’s place more often than he could count. This time he was able to rock back and forth on the balls of his bare feet and bite his lip as he waited, able to fidget and grip at his tattooed arms in a way that Trowa wasn’t permitted. In a way that he wouldn’t have been allowed to do if he were the one under Zechs’ command. He admired the way that Trowa was able to keep himself, his reactions, under control.

The first _thwack_ of Zechs’ hand sounded more solid than Duo knew it was. Even so, it made Trowa swallow hard and adjust his balance in preparation for another strike. Duo blew out a breath and tried not to think about how good his lover and his friend looked like this. Watching Zechs work was always delicious, though it was something that Duo didn’t get to see often now that they had settled into their relationship.

There was another long pause before Zechs struck Trowa again, punctuating the heavy slap with a firm squeeze that rocked him up on his toes. Then he did it again, a small smile quirking his lips as Trowa made a small sound. It was neither pain nor pleasure; Duo thought it might have been simply reflexive from trying to keep still.

A valiant effort, but he knew Zechs. He knew what Trowa had agreed to.

Zechs wasn’t using the quick, openhanded slaps that were meant to sting and make Trowa squirm, but heavy, slow swings that would knock him off balance, make him struggle to stay in position. They weren’t even intended to hurt, though Duo knew that was coming.

This was a show of strength, a test of Trowa’s willingness to submit. More than that, it was a chance for Duo to get back into his own headspace and stop worrying. Trowa wasn’t fragile, didn’t need to be treated with kid gloves. He’d given his limits, had his safewords and neither Duo nor Zechs were amateurs at this. Whatever deeper issues Duo was concerned about were not going to be brought up tonight unless he was the one who fucked up.

And Zechs would never let him fuck up. Zechs had never failed him as his lover, his mentor, his master. They would give Trowa what he wanted—together—and let the rest lay until morning. That knowledge, more than anything, made the knot in Duo’s chest unravel the rest of the way. He felt stronger, steadied by his confidence in Zechs and in Trowa too.

Because Trowa wasn’t struggling against Zechs or the deep-sounding smacks that landed on his ass and thighs. He leaned into the steadying hand on his chest, his face a study in contradictions. His eyes were downcast and fixed on the floor, brows knitted in what Duo recognized as concentration, his lips parted and red from being bitten. The soft sounds that he made were of frustration as he forced himself to stay still under Zechs’ attentions.

“You’re beautiful together,” Duo pushed away from the dresser, keeping his arms folded as he stalked towards the pair. The smile on his face was crooked, easier than the one he’d offered before but no less genuine. He knew that Zechs could see the difference because his own answering smirk was arrogant, preening under the compliment.

“I’d rather forgotten what it was like to have someone my size under my hand,” Zechs confessed, rubbing Trowa’s hip. He kissed the nape of Trowa’s neck and settled his chin on his shoulder, leaning comfortably against him. Trowa actually gasped, shuddering before relaxing under the loose embrace. “And he submits so much more easily than you, pet.”

Duo snorted at that, but he tossed Zechs an affectionate smile.

“He means you’re less stubborn,” he reached out to run his hand down Trowa’s torso. It made him tremble. Letting it fall away just before he could brush over Trowa’s erection, Duo stepped back with a  shrug. Trowa bit back a disappointed whine. “Is that true, sweetheart?”

“Hmm. There are different kinds of stubborn,” Zechs reminded him, stepping back to hold Trowa at arm’s length. He nudged his feet further apart, made him arch his back just a little by pressing between the center of his shoulders. “Our Trowa is very determined not to move out of position. His balance is lovely—all that circus work, I imagine?”

Duo gave a tilt of his head that might have been a nod, might have been another shrug. He was running the same calculating look over Trowa that Zechs was.

“I’m impressed,” Zechs circled him, “that Duo only needed to chastise you once and now you’re determined to remain however I place you.”

Trowa didn’t answer but Duo caught the way that he licked at his lips and flushed at the praise. Zechs must have seen it too because he smiled as he brushed behind Duo, leaning down to kiss his temple as he passed. When he was behind Trowa again, Zechs gave him a negligent shove.

“I admire your determination, darling, but I want to see you break that form. What happens,” he ran his fingers through Trowa’s hair, fisting it and giving his head a shake before letting go, “when an immovable object meets an irresistible force, I wonder?”

Trowa squared his shoulders as if expecting Zechs to shove him again, perhaps force him to his knees. He didn’t know, like Duo did, that Zechs liked subtler methods. Didn’t know that he should have been expecting a sharp wallop to the underside of his ass instead.

He gasped, eyes flying open as he was driven a half-step forward by the  unexpected blow. This was the first one that actually hurt—Duo could tell from the sound alone that Zechs had meant it to hurt. Knew from Trowa’s whimper and squirm of his hips that Zechs was caressing the mark he’d made. And yet still, Trowa resumed his parade-rest posture, head bowed and drawing a calming breath.

Duo stepped forward, placing both hands on Trowa’s chest and looking up into his face, proud and wondering. Trowa looked at him, then closed his eyes again as if unsure if he was allowed to meet Duo’s gaze.

“It’s okay. Look at me, sweetheart,” Duo patted his cheek more roughly than his words implied. “That’s it, let me see those beautiful eyes. You’re okay, yes?”

There was a slight quirk of amusement to Trowa’s mouth as he nodded. “I’m okay, Duo. Sir.”

Duo smirked back; that little bit of defiance and spark made him happy. No, Trowa wouldn’t be so easily broken. He would be exquisite.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re fine. And now Zechs is gonna work you over some more while you stand there for me, right? It’s so hard to stand unbound for the kind of spanking he’s gonna give you. I know that. And he’s gonna be fucking hard on you like he can’t with me. Yes?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good,” Duo ran a hand through Trowa’s long bangs, brushing them back so that he could see both of his eyes more clearly. “And you’re going to take it beautifully. I know you will. Won’t he, Zechs?”

“He will. Or he could take something else.”

“What did you have in mind, babe?” Duo arched an eyebrow, looking over Trowa’s shoulder at him. Zechs had that thoughtful, wicked tone that he knew entirely too well.

Zechs pantomimed swinging a paddle and Duo’s eyes lit up. He grinned at Zechs before turning back to Trowa, brushing the backs of his fingers over one cheek.

“We’ll give you an option, sweetheart. You can stand on your own and take a spanking or I can help brace you and you’ll take a paddling. Either way, it’s going to be nice and hard, Tro. Something you feel all the way down in your bones and rocks you on your toes. Something to make you beg, just like I promised.”

Trowa shuddered. “Fuck...”

“That too,” Duo promised, glancing down to see that Trowa was still hard. His own dick throbbed in response. “Afterwards.”

“Hold me,” Trowa whispered. “Please.”

“Please, what?”

Another shudder. “Please, sir.”

Duo nodded. “Okay, sweetheart. Okay.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t quite as hard as Duo said it would be. They were still learning Trowa’s body and reactions and neither Duo nor Zechs would push him too far. Duo had known that when he made his promises, was sure that Trowa knew it too, but he’d liked the anticipation his words created. Built on them as he uncuffed Trowa’s hands and placed them on his own shoulders. As he settled his hands on Trowa’s hips and Zechs opened the bottom bureau drawer.

The paddle had been wide, wrapped in leather and heavily padded on one side. It was meant to deliver deep, resounding smacks and Zechs kept them slow, steady, lifting Trowa up on his toes, building him up to take harder blows that would leave him aching and bruised.

Duo hadn’t been lying when he said that Trowa would take it beautifully. He’d tried so hard to stay stoic, to keep his face schooled into something neutral and remain still. Duo had praised him with sweet words and caresses, rubbing a hand up and down his side or leaning in to kiss his breastbone when Zechs paused between hits. Duo had been careful not to touch Trowa’s erection, but he’d pressed the palm of his hand low on his belly, close enough to tease, and stroked his thumb through the fine trail of dark hair. Trowa had moaned and arched his hips at that, his cock weeping precome.

“Patience,” Duo urged, feeling very much like a hypocrite, because the last thing he wanted to do was wait. Trowa was stunning like this, so utterly fuckable.

Zechs pressed the length of his body to Trowa’s, laying his hands over both of Duo’s and guiding them up and over Trowa’s torso while he shivered for them.

“A little more,” he breathed into Trowa’s ear. Biting at the corner of his jaw, he smiled in satisfaction when Trowa swallowed hard. “Soon. I promise.”

When Zechs resumed his slow smacks with the paddle, interspersed them with quicker ones by hand, Trowa began to squirm. Duo held him steady, didn’t mind the way Trowa’s fingers dug into his shoulders because he was able to see Trowa’s handsome face finally twist up in pleasure-pain.

“I know, sweetheart,” he crooned. “It’s the little sharp ones, isn’t it? With his bare hand? You do so well with that nice, deep ache, but it’s the crack of Zechs’ hand that makes you want to cry. Oh, if I’d known that, I would have insisted you take the spanking.”

Trowa almost broke then. Duo was amazed by the way he held himself back, but he realized that Zechs was right. He was stubborn. He forced himself to stay still, not because they demanded it, but because Trowa demanded it of himself. It was a kind of self-control that Duo didn’t realize Trowa had.

Duo wondered if Trowa even realized what he was doing. He was harder on himself than either of them could ever be.

Zechs seemed to understand it as well. He set his hand on Trowa’s shoulder as he ran the paddle over his thigh in a caress. He leaned in to kiss Trowa’s short hair, murmuring, “You follow orders so well, but I want you to fall apart. Stop trying to be brave. Let go.”

It seemed that permission was all he needed. Zechs laid the next strike down, and even though it was lighter than the rest, Trowa sobbed out an exhale. Duo resisted the urge to kiss him, instead bringing one hand up to card through his hair, cradling the back of his skull as Zechs hit him again. Again. And again.

The final blow barely made a sound, it was so soft. Duo didn’t have to imagine that gentle kiss of leather against his own skin; he knew how it would have made him break and sink to his knees in anticlimactic shudders, made him beg for more. So he knew how Trowa was feeling when he went weak, catching himself on Duo’s shoulders before he could fall.

Duo was waiting for it, his smaller frame more than strong enough to take the sudden weight. He gathered Trowa into his arms, helping him stay on his feet while he shook. The soft sounds that he made were neither sobs nor whimpers but something in between.

“Easy,” Zechs slid his arms around Trowa’s waist, took his weight off of Duo. He kissed Trowa’s neck, held him close. “You did so well.”

“You were _perfect_ ,” Duo emphasized, stroking his face. Trowa’s eyes were lucid and clear, but he looked as though he might cry. It wasn’t an expression Duo was used to seeing on him. Wasn’t sure if he liked it, but he raised up on the tips of his toes anyway. Kissed him gently. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t hold back.”

“I-I’m okay,” Trowa assured him, taking a deep breath and trying visibly to get himself under control again. Duo watched him struggle, flicked his eyes up to meet Zechs’ and shook his head.

Zechs did something that made Trowa groan—pushed his knuckles into one of the bruises on his ass, Duo suspected. “Stop trying to stay in control. You said that you wanted to let go, so let go. We’ll catch you.”

“Or is it not enough?” Duo asked. He stepped away, folding his arms over his chest and studying the image that the two taller men made. They really were beautiful together: Trowa naked and trembling, his cock still deliciously hard, Zechs fully clothed and comfortably draped over him.

But Trowa was still trying to stay in control. It was commendable, Duo thought, but it wasn’t necessary. Was, in fact, the opposite of what he and Zechs wanted.

So he slapped the outsides of Trowa’s thighs, twice each and in sharp succession. It drew a low cry from him and he couldn’t quite stop the reflexive jerk backwards that only pushed him harder against Zechs’ chest.

“You need to let go of that self-control,” Duo caressed his hip, let his wrist brush against Trowa’s cock. He hissed through his teeth, hands coming up to grip Zechs’ arms. “Good. That’s fine. Hold onto Zechs, sweetheart. Just like that.”

“You don’t have to stay still,” Zechs assured him. “Not right now.”

“You have our permission,” Duo scratched his blunt nails up the inside of one thigh, “to stop trying so hard. You don’t have to obey anyone but us, Tro. And you’ve made us so proud already. You stayed still for us when we asked. You took the paddle beautifully, just like I knew you would. You’ve done everything we asked. Now we’re asking you to let go. Remember what I said, sweetheart? You don’t belong to yourself tonight. You belong to us.”

Trowa nodded, twitching away from Duo’s touch and then pressing into it. His fingers flexed on Zechs’ arms. He was so close to giving in, if only he would allow himself to do it. Duo wanted to tip him over into that place that he so desperately wanted— _needed_ — to be.

“Say it.”

It was the barest whisper. Duo wasn’t sure that Zechs could have heard it, even with his cheek pressed against Trowa’s.

“Louder,” he slapped the inside of one thigh.

“I’m... I’m yours.”

“Try again. Louder.”

“I’m yours,” Trowa bit at his lower lip, leaned his head against Zechs’. “I-I belong to you.”

“Yes,” Duo approved with a gentle touch against his stomach. “Yeah, sweetheart. You do, and you’re doing so well. So stop fighting against yourself. If you need to struggle, struggle. Zechs can hold you. If you need to cry or moan or beg, then do it. Let us take care of you. Let us worry. That’s what you really asked for. Isn’t it? You need someone else to carry the weight for you.”

Trowa nodded, looking at him with eyes gone wet. “You understand.”

“Yeah. I do. Took me awhile to figure you out, you hide it so well.” Duo smiled and kissed him, a chaste touch against his lower lip that made Trowa choke and lean forward for more. Duo shook his head, pressed his fingertips against Trowa’s mouth. “Not yet. Easy...”

“Please...”

“I know. We’ll be good to you. I promised, didn’t I?” He looked to Zechs, arched an eyebrow. “What do you think, Z?”

“I think we should take our Trowa to bed,” he answered, running a line of kisses down the other man’s neck. “I want to see you fuck him.”

“Mm. I was thinking the same about you.”

Zechs chuckled, hugging Trowa closer to him. He pitched his voice low and rumbling against Trowa’s ear. “Who do you want, sweet?”

“Both,” he whispered. “Please. Sir... I want you both.”  

* * *

 

One of the best things about threesomes, Duo considered, was having Zechs prep Trowa while he stripped out of his jeans, getting to watch them. It was a sight that he wanted to remember, seeing Trowa stretched out on their bed, hips lifted by a pillow, his hands cuffed to the heavy wrought iron headboard, and Zechs casually laying beside him, still dressed and three fingers deep. Trowa was panting, his cock straining as he bucked his hips.

Zechs drew one of Trowa’s legs up, shifting him onto his side slightly and murmuring into his ear. Trowa flushed red but locked his foot behind Zechs’ knee, opening himself up to give Duo a better view. He groaned as Zechs’ fingers slid easily back inside, slick and clever.

“Oh, nice,” Duo approved. He dropped a hand down to his cock, idly stroking it as he watched them. He played with the piercings at tip and base, bit his lip as pleasure spiked through him.

He crawled onto the bed and pressed a deep, claiming kiss to Trowa’s mouth. Trowa moaned, leaning into him and sucking on Duo’s tongue like he was afraid he’d never kiss him again. Desperate for contact. For love.

“Easy,” Duo kissed his lower lip as he drew away. Bit down on a whim, just to hear Trowa’s wincing sigh. “Mm. That’s gorgeous. How do you feel, sweetheart? Zechs making you feel good?”

“Yes,” he panted, straining towards Duo. “Please... please, Duo... sir....”

“I know,” he soothed, licking at Trowa’s mouth, rewarding him. “I’m not going anywhere, Tro. I’m gonna fuck you, I promise. Beg me pretty. I want to hear you.”

Trowa groaned deep in his throat and Duo kissed him again, liking the sound. Liking that Trowa was finally losing that self control.

“If I make you come, sweetheart,” he cooed, sliding between Trowa’s thighs, “can you come again a second time?”

He smiled against another of Duo’s kisses. “I can.”

“Yeah? We ain’t sixteen anymore, you know. Are you still gonna be able to take Zechs if you can’t? Or is it gonna hurt too much? Do you want it to hurt?”

“Make it hurt,” Trowa arched his back and pulled at his cuffs as Zechs withdrew his fingers. “Please. I-I want you both. Even if it hurts. Y-You know I can take pain. Please, sirs. _Please_.”

“Beautiful,” Duo slicked his cock with lube, forgoing condoms. He and Zechs hadn’t fucked anyone else in years and Trowa was still officially part of Preventers, with its quarterly physicals. They’d all agreed that it wasn’t necessary and Trowa hadn’t wanted them.

Duo took his time sinking into Trowa. It had been so long since he’d gotten to be the one on top; he wanted to savor the moment. The tight, velvet heat, muscles gripping and twitching around him, the way that Trowa drew a deep, shaking breath and pulled harder at the cuffs. Duo settled himself deep, gripping Trowa’s hips and holding him as still as possible.

“How does he feel?” Zechs asked, reaching to run a hand down Duo’s arm.

“Tight,” Duo closed his eyes, rolling his hips slightly to get a little deeper. Trowa clenched down on him and Duo shuddered, smiling. “Oh... fuck, babe. You’re going to love him.”

He gave a short thrust into Trowa, then a second, and opened his eyes to meet Zechs’ gaze. He flashed a wink. “Of course, he’s not going to be so tight for you, once I’m done.”

Trowa moaned at that and Duo laughed, giving another rolling buck of his hips.

“You like that? You want me to keep talking?” he asked. “Okay. How close are you, sweetheart? I’m surprised you haven’t come already. That self control of yours. You need to let go. Go ahead and come, Tro. If you want us to keep going afterwards, we will.”

Trowa nodded fervently. “Please...”

“Please, what?” Duo fucked him slow and deep, enjoying the feel of Trowa’s body, of his unraveling. “‘Please, Zechs, touch my cock, sir?’ Or maybe... ‘Please, fuck me harder, sir?’ Both? Something else? I want you to ask us, sweetheart.”

“Both,” he writhed, squeezing his eyes shut. Whether it was against the pleasure, the desperate need to come, or this final submission, Duo couldn’t tell. “Please, both, sirs. Fuck me harder, let me come. Please...”

“You already have Duo’s permission to come,” Zechs reminded him, running a palm slick with lube over his stomach. Tauntingly close to his cock. “Ask me to touch you.”

Duo swallowed hard as he watched Trowa open his eyes to look at Zechs. As he whispered, shaking, “Please, Sir. Stroke my cock so I can come for you.”

“Oh, fuck,” Duo groaned, the words hitting him like a punch. He could hear the shift in Trowa’s tone, actually hear the capitalization when he said “Sir.” He really was theirs. Duo couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.

Zechs kissed Trowa and wrapped his hand around his erection. It only took two firm pulls before Trowa was coming, spilling hot and thick across his chest and stomach, over Zechs’ hand. Zechs continued to kiss him, drinking down his moans.

Duo praised Trowa as he shuddered and bucked beneath him. The spasm of muscles made him tighter, made Duo stutter in his rhythm until Trowa started to relax. Little tremors kept running through him. Zechs squeezed his cock, milked more cries and more come from him.

“Are you sure, my darling,” he licked Trowa’s neck, “that you want Duo to keep going? Are you sure that you want me to fuck you too?”

“I want it,” he arched his hips up towards Duo. His face was pleading, his green eyes as hungry as they were lost. “I’m yours. Make me yours. Please. Please, I...”

“Sweetheart,” Duo smiled, caressing his hip. He started to move again, his own need an insistent weight in his chest, heat in his groin. Relaxed, Trowa was looser now, the slide easy and smooth. “You’re already ours. But I’ll give you what you want. I’ll leave you fucked and sore and still hungry for Zechs. And then we’ll see if you can’t come again for us.”

“Yes...” Trowa closed his eyes, giving slow rolls of his body to meet each of Duo’s thrusts. “Yes, please, Sir. That’s... I want that.”

Duo sighed, sinking into a place that was content, confident. Trowa was beautiful beneath him, alternately moaning and whimpering, his face crossed with pleasure and pain. Zechs kissed him tenderly before lifting his come-slicked fingers to paint Trowa’s lips. He licked them at Duo’s command, pliant and sweetly submissive now that he’d given himself over to them. Duo had never thought to see Trowa this way, but he found that he liked it. Wanted to see more of it. Wanted to break him oh-so-carefully now that he knew it was possible to do without ruining him. Wanted to build him back up.

He wanted to keep him.

Trowa moaned as Duo drove his body past the point of over stimulation and into something more sublime. Duo did it with languid, deep thrusts of his cock, sure touches of his hands, the steady cadence of his voice, pitched low and kind. When he was panting and hard again, lost to sensation, Zechs kissed him one more time and got to his knees beside Duo. He leaned in to kiss his braided hair.

Duo tipped his head to the side, giving Zechs room to kiss his neck. He hissed out a breath as the edge of teeth ran over his skin, hitched Trowa’s hips a little higher and stopped holding back. He groaned and grit his teeth, shut his eyes tight against the pleasure, the building heat that started between his shoulders and ran the length of his spine. That pooled in his stomach, sparking deep and low to build in his balls. He was so close, teetering just on the edge.

Zechs fisted his hair and bit down into his shoulder. “What are you waiting for, pet? Do I need to order _you_?”

Duo laughed, shuddering against the pain that zipped through him. “Oh, no fair.”

“Am I ever?”

Duo turned to kiss him. He was still laughing even as he started to tip over the cusp. He felt too hot, his skin too tight. It was more than good; it was delicious, and his pulse started to pound in his ears. The laughter died as Zechs rubbed the small of his back, running his thumb over a spot on his tailbone that made Duo moan. Zechs slid his tongue into his mouth like he could taste Duo’s cries, and Trowa writhed against him, encouraging him in his own way. It was enough, that wiggle, the tightening of muscles, that welcome, wonderful heat. He fell over that edge with a pleased groan.

Yanking away from Zechs, Duo gripped Trowa’s hips, gave a final, few short thrusts, body going rigid and trembling as he came, spilling deep into Trowa. The cry that fell from his lips sounded anguished even to his own ears, and he was sure that the fire in his veins had boiled away his blood. Vision greyed around the edges, Duo drooped forward with his hands on either side of Trowa’s chest, fingers digging into the sheets. He shivered, breathing hard around the curve of a smile.

“Fuck.”

While Duo gathered his thoughts, he was dimly aware of Zechs moving off of the bed. Moving sluggishly, Duo pulled out of Trowa—both of them making soft sounds of protest—and stretched out beside him. He cupped Trowa’s cheek and drew him into a slow, appreciative kiss.

“Thank you,” he murmured against Trowa’s skin, finding himself pressing closer, needing to touch as much of the taller man as he could. “You’re perfect.”

“You both are,” Zechs agreed and they both looked up to see him climb back onto the bed. Duo’s breath caught, as it always did, to see him naked and ready. Trim and fit, his pale skin was flushed, making his scars stand out. Unclothed, it was apparent that he was more heavily muscled than Trowa, who had stayed on the lean side. Zechs could have been a painting or marble statue come to life. They both could have, Duo thought, counting himself lucky.

“You should have our view,” Duo said, running his gaze up and down Zechs, lingering on his cock, which was impressive, heavy and weeping precome.

Zechs smirked and leaned down to kiss them both, touching his lips to Duo’s first before lingering over Trowa’s. “Hmm. I rather like my view better. Why don’t you keep kissing our Trowa while I enjoy him?”

“While you fuck him, you mean?” Duo grinned. “I love when you get all formal, babe.”

“You’re informal enough for both of us,” Zechs kissed him again, quick and sweet. “Trowa, is this still what you want?”

“Please,” he nodded, opening his legs wider for Zechs to kneel between.

“Ask him,” Duo said, making it a request rather than an order. He smoothed his hand over Trowa’s chest, kissed his jaw. He glanced up to Zechs, caught his eyes, and smiled.

Zechs reached down, gently squeezing Duo’s thigh in response. Heat filled Duo’s chest and his smile widened. He’d never loved anyone as much as he loved Zechs, and even here, with Trowa in their bed asking to be dominated and fucked—maybe especially because of it—Duo felt beloved in return. Because he couldn’t easily kiss Zechs, he kissed Trowa again.

“Ask Zechs to fuck you, sweetheart,” he murmured, pressing his lips to Trowa’s throat, his chest. “If that’s what you want, you need to ask for it. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

Trowa nodded, his eyes fluttering closed. He didn’t open them again and his voice was a rasping whisper when he spoke. “Please fuck me, Sir.”

“So good,” Duo praised him, running his hand over Trowa’s stomach. He kept an eye on Zechs as his lover kissed Trowa’s knee, laying a line up his inner thigh. When he reached midway, he drew Trowa’s leg up over his shoulder, making him lift his hips and arch his back.

“You _are_ a sight,” Zechs said, mostly to himself. Duo smiled because he didn’t think Zechs had even realized that he’d spoken out loud. It was rare for Zechs to have that kind of lapse.

Trowa was worth it. He was exquisite, just like Duo had thought he would be.

“Look at you,” Duo breathed, warm against Trowa’s skin. He wasn’t watching Zechs anymore, preferring to watch Trowa’s face as he kissed the broad expanse of his chest. He could tell by the sharp intake of breath when Zechs had started to slide inside. Duo palmed his cheek, loving the way that Trowa took a slow, shuddering breath, his body arching beneath Duo’s hands and lips.

Duo bit his lip, because he knew how Trowa felt. Knew intimately the way Zechs had pushed in deep, making Trowa take him all with one easy roll of his hips. He pressed his palm to Trowa’s stomach, felt the quivering muscles there, and kissed the center of his chest.

“How does Zechs feel, sweetheart? He’s big, right? Is it good?”

“Good,” he managed, swallowing hard. “Feels so good.”

“Yeah,” Duo rewarded him with a kiss, licking past the seam of Trowa’s lips until he was pressing his tongue deep, tasting and claiming. Breaking away, he pushed his body closer to Trowa, sliding his arm beneath one shoulder and twining one leg around Trowa’s thigh, holding him open and pinned for Zechs.

He glanced up at the blond. “You gonna fuck him, Z?”

“Not yet.”

“Why not? He asked so pretty.”

“But he’s not begging,” Zechs flashed a wolfish smile that went straight to Duo’s gut. His cock twinged against Trowa’s hip and he hissed softly. Zechs’ smile widened. “Make him beg, Duo.”

“Oh.” Duo smiled too. “Oh, yeah... I can do that.”

Dancing his fingers down Trowa’s stomach, Duo grasped his cock in a loose grip and gave a few teasing strokes. Trowa whined in the back of his throat, squirming and pulling at his cuffs. Duo leaned in close to lick one nipple, circling the tip of his tongue over the peak until it was a hard kernel. He bit down and Trowa’s gasp was gratifying.

“Please...”

“Just like that,” Duo urged, nipping at his jaw. He felt Zechs open Trowa’s legs wider, knew that he was settling deeper. He ran his thumb over the tip of Trowa’s cock, dipped the edge of his nail into the slit and rubbed until Trowa howled. “Yeah, let us hear you. C’mon. Beg Zechs. He’ll treat you so good, sweetheart.”

Zechs gave a sharp thrust of his hips that had Trowa crying out, his head thrown back. “Please! Sir, please! I... I can’t... please...”

“You can,” Duo urged, gliding greedy hands over the other man’s writhing body. He was perfect, so perfect. Duo wanted to spend all night taking him apart. “He’s so deep, isn’t he? I know. Tell us how badly you want it. I know you do. You wanna feel Zechs pound you until you’re screaming, don’t you? You wanna give up all that wonderful self-control and let him fuck you until you can’t take it anymore. You want him to fuck you until you’re wrecked and ruined, don’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yes, please, I—” he choked, arching up under Zechs. His eyes were still closed and there were tears seeping down his cheeks. “Please! Fuck me, Sir. Use me, just... _please_ , please, please...”

“Shh, easy,” Duo soothed as Trowa kept pleading, his voice cracked. Broken. “Tro... easy, sweetheart. We’ve got you, I promise. Zechs?”

“He’s fine,” Zechs kept his own voice gentle. He stroked a hand up Trowa’s thigh to his hip. “Trowa, you’re fine. Aren’t you, my darling?”

Trowa nodded, all but sobbing. “Please, Sir... please...”

“Beautiful,” Zechs murmured. “All right.”

He drew his hips back, then slammed back in hard enough to rattle the bed. Trowa groaned, body curling all the way down to his toes.

Duo watched with appreciation and sympathy as Zechs fucked Trowa. He was hard and unrelenting in his thrusts, the sound of skin smacking together reverberating in the quiet of the room. All Trowa could do was pant and moan, turned onto his side and opened wide for Zechs’s use. Duo kissed him over and over, swallowing his cries and petting his trembling muscles.

Zechs was stunning, his long blond hair coming loose from its ponytail to stick to his shoulders and cheeks, the muscles of his stomach flexing as he pounded into Trowa’s willing, certainly aching body. Duo urged him on in a lust-filled growl, made him promise not to finish until Trowa had come again. He pressed wet kisses to Trowa’s mouth and throat, raked his nails up his side. Trowa keened, trying to push back against Zechs and lean into Duo at the same time.

“Come for us, sweetheart,” Duo fisted his cock, stroking him in time with Zechs’ thrusts. “I know you’re close.”

Trowa couldn’t answer. Groans were forced from his mouth instead, the sound coming deep on each exhalation of breath. He hid his face against his arm, eyes squeezed shut.

Duo smiled and kissed him. “Yeah, I know. Does it hurt yet? Is Zechs fucking you so hard that you can feel it in your throat? Has he rubbed your prostate raw?”

Trowa moaned pitifully.

“Oh, yeah. I thought so.” Duo chuckled, stroking him faster. “C’mon. Come, Trowa. That’s an order.”

When Trowa came this time, it left him incoherent. Duo held him, kissed his face as he writhed, squeezed his cock as he spilled hot and wet against Duo’s hand and thigh. Loose and lax, Trowa could only shudder as Zechs kept fucking him.

Duo understood. They didn’t have much more time before Trowa was completely lost to over stimulation and the pain became less pleasurable and tipped over into unbearable. He glanced up at Zechs, who wasn’t looking at either of them. His blue eyes were shut and his lip curled up into a snarl. His teeth were grit.

“Z, c’mon. Fill him up, babe,” Duo said softly. He kissed Trowa’s forehead, smoothed his bangs back. Glassy green eyes opened to look at him. “Fuck, Tro. You’re so beautiful.”

“You are,” Zechs agreed, his voice sounding distant and dreamy. He was slowing down, his hips snapping sharply as he grew closer. Duo knew the signs. “You’re beautiful and you’re ours.”

Trowa sobbed, nodding frantically. He drew a shaking breath to beg, “Yes... please. Keep me, love me, make me yours, that’s— that’s all I want...”

“Darling,” Zechs murmured, leaning down to kiss Trowa himself, all but bending the other man in half. His hips kept moving as he came, giving little rabbit thrusts as he tasted Trowa’s mouth. Pulling back, fingers flexing on Trowa’s thigh and hip, he gave a final, slow roll of his hips, his mouth opening in a low sigh of pleasure. Trowa shuddered beneath him, arching to receive him.

Duo reached up, brushing Zechs’ bangs away from his face so that he could see better. Zechs leaned into the touch. He was breathing hard, his skin sheened with sweat. He shook with the release of tension, muscles twitching involuntarily as he slowly came back to himself. He pulled out with a wince and Trowa whined, his body gone boneless and weak. Blinking back the remaining haze that had filled his pale eyes, Zechs released Trowa’s leg and helped him to settle on his side, pressed against the length of Duo’s body. He was still bound, arms stretched above his head, but Zechs left them for the moment. He caressed his shoulders and side like Trowa was a great cat.

“Trowa,” he said quietly. His breathing was evening out. “Who do you belong to, darling?”

“I’m yours,” Trowa whispered, shivering as he hid his face against Duo’s shoulder. His voice gave a hitch and he added, “Just for tonight.”

“Shh,” Duo kissed him. “Not just for tonight, maybe. You needed this so bad, didn’t you?”

“Duo.” Zechs shook his head. “Not now. We’ll discuss it in the morning.”

“Morning?” Trowa asked. He was drifting and Duo kissed him again.

“It’s okay,” he said. He stroked Trowa’s bangs back the way he had done with Zechs’ and gave him a reassuring smile. “Let us finish taking care of you, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” One more lingering kiss, then Duo was sitting up and unfastening the cuffs around Trowa’s wrists.

* * *

 

Duo was already awake when Trowa woke. Trowa was on his back, nestled between him and Zechs on the big bed. Zechs had rolled over to face away from him sometime during the night, but Duo had one arm draped over his chest and was tracing patterns over his skin. Sun was streaming in through the windows, warm and soothing. It felt like a lazy morning, but Duo could feel the tension in Trowa now that he was awake.

He pressed down against Trowa’s chest as he tried to sit up, gentle but firm.

“Hey. Stay for a bit,” he said. “Have breakfast with us. We’ll talk.”

“Duo, I—”

“I know. You were kind of out of it last night. Did we go too hard?”

“I... no. No, it was what I wanted. What I needed.” He slanted his gaze away and Duo didn’t like the way that he looked ashamed.

“What’s wrong?” Duo asked. “Shit. We hurt you, didn’t we? ”

“No. No, nothing like...” Shaking his head, Trowa sat up and ran both hands through his hair. Duo let him go this time. “I know it was a one time thing. But... I...”

“You want to do it again?” Zechs rumbled from his other side.

Trowa nodded.

“I don’t see why we can’t,” Duo said, also sitting up. His braid was mussed, but mostly intact. “You... you’d give us something that we don’t have with each other.”

“I’m not something you can add to spice up your sex life,” Trowa said, suddenly defensive. “And I didn’t ask you for last night because I was bored.”

“I know. That’s not what I’m saying.” Duo reached out to lay his hands on Trowa’s shoulders, gently rubbing up and down warm skin. “Look, Zechs doesn’t bottom. He doesn’t switch. I do. As much as I love Zechs, I miss having someone sub for me. I miss getting to do the fucking. And Zechs likes having someone who can take everything he dishes out. Right, babe?”

“I do,” he agreed, leaning up on one elbow. His hair was in a loose braid too, but most of it had fallen out. It slithered over his shoulder to fall on the bed. “Trowa, I can do things to you that I wouldn’t risk with Duo. I imagine you might like things that he doesn’t.”

“What? You want to satisfy your curiosity?”

“Tro—” Duo started to protest. That wasn’t fair.

He sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”

“It’s okay,” Duo said, reeling in his own indignation. “I get it. We both do. You came to us last night for a reason. You want to do it again for—I’m guessing—the same reason. We can give you what you need, but we can also give you more. If you want it.”

“What exactly are you offering?” Trowa asked, letting Duo pull him back to lean against the headboard. Duo wrapped his arms around his shoulders, stroked Trowa’s hair back from his face as he settled against his chest. Zechs was looking up at them with a cautious, considering expression. “Neither of you have had time to discuss anything.”

“We did, actually,” Duo said. “I told you, you were pretty out of it. After Zechs fucked you, we probably could have done anything we wanted and you would have let us. Hell, you would have begged for it.”

“We talked instead,” Zechs assured him. He’d seen Trowa’s panic rising the same way that Duo felt it. He reached out to place his hand on Trowa’s stomach, settling him as Duo petted his hair. “You’re a submissive. You need that, not all of the time, but sometimes. Yes?”

“Yes.” It was terse, not unlike their conversation the night before, when he had first come to them asking.

“Duo and I don’t have a twenty-four-seven relationship either. He’s much too independent for that and I don’t want that level of control. We have something that works for us. We can work you into it as well. Permanent. Temporary. Whatever you need.”

“Why?”

“Firstly, because we’re greedy,” he admitted. “You’re beautiful, and as Duo said, you would be able to give us things that we can’t give each other. Secondly, and more importantly, because we care for you. You’re a friend. Family, if you like. Neither of us want to see you with someone who doesn’t understand you. It’s not easy to find doms who are equipped to handle a Gundam pilot. They assume things that aren’t true.”

Trowa nodded in a way that made Duo suspect he’d found that out the hard way.

“Third,” Duo added, very quietly, “we miss Quatre too. I think... I think he’d want us to take care of you. You and Cat looked after me when Heero left; let me do the same for you.”

There was a long moment of silence before Trowa spoke. “I thought I was okay. It’s been over a year... but... I’m not. I...”

They didn’t try to hush his tears. Duo just held him closer and Zechs sat up to embrace them both. He gave Duo a slightly surprised look when Trowa slid his arms around his waist and buried his face against his scarred chest. Duo smiled sadly and shook his head; he’d expected Trowa to turn to him too. They’d known each other for longer. Trusted each other. That he went to Zechs meant something. Something important.

“I don’t belong anywhere anymore,” Trowa said, his voice coming out wet and thick. “As long as I was with Quatre, I had a home. I had somewhere that felt like mine. I belonged.”

Duo nodded, though Trowa couldn’t see him. He rubbed his back, finding scars that mirrored some of his own. Theirs had been brutal lives. Catherine could never fully understand Trowa, though she tried. The circus had been treated as cover for too long to ever feel like home. It wasn’t the kind of home and belonging that Trowa had found with Quatre.

People in general weren’t equipped to understand Gundam pilots.

“You feel lost,” Duo said softly. He’d felt the same when Heero had left.

“I feel... adrift.” He shivered like he was cold and Duo knew why. The frozen void of space was so similar to a broken heart. He wrapped his arms around Trowa from behind, shared his warmth and his presence.

“Let us help you, Tro. You came to us last night thinking you only needed the sex and pain, but it’s more than that. We can’t fix everything, but we can give you some of the things you need. We can anchor you. We can help shoulder some of that grief. You can belong to us until you’re ready to belong to yourself again.”

“What if I never am?”

“Then I guess we get to keep you.” He kissed Trowa’s shoulder blade. “I think you’re stronger than that, though. You always have been. It’s why Quatre loved you.”

“Will you want to keep me if I’m stronger?” he asked, wiping at his eyes.

Duo laughed. “Fuck, yeah. Won’t we, Z?”

“I rather think we’ll want you more.”

—END—

  



End file.
